Board of Directors

Geena Young, Treasurer, Board of Directors

Ms. Young is the Principal and CEO of Centric Business Solutions, LLC, located in Prince George's County, Maryland. Centric provides bookkeeping, accounting, business and CFO consulting services to small to mid-sized businesses in the private and public sectors. Centric's primary goal is to bring best practices and innovation, typically only available to large corporations, to its smaller clients in order to allow them to grow.

Ms. Young has experienced a distinguished 20-year career in public and private industry working in various senior and executive level finance positions. In these positions, she gained considerable experience as an expert in analyzing operations and implementing effective systems, strategies and processes to improve organizational performance.

Additionally, Ms. Young is the Founder and Executive Director of REACH-DMV, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that works to empower individuals and families experiencing domestic and relationship violence. She is a member of numerous professional organizations and is a life-time member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Ann Brogioli, MSW, Secretary, Board of Directors

Ms. Brogioli has been the school social worker and homeless liaison at Charles Hart Middle School in Southeast Washington, D.C., since 1999. Ms. Brogioli has enjoyed an extraordinary career at Hart (where the entire student body qualifies for free lunch), by helping countless youth navigate the dangerous streets of D.C., and overcome obstacles to success. She has been a forceful leader in efforts to combat violence in her community, particularly gun violence. The Washington Post and syndicated columnist Courtland Milloy have celebrated Ms. Brogioli's tireless dedication to her students and her efforts to combat gun violence in news articles and opinion pieces, respectively. In 2012, the Catholic University of America awarded her its annual Alumni Award in recognition of her service to youth in the District. The DC Public Education Fund has repeatedly recognized Ms. Brogiloi as one of its "Highly Effective Educators." In 2009, she received the Mayor's Change Agent Award, and in 2006, Covenant House-Washington, D.C. honored her for her outstanding service to youth. Ms. Brogiloi received her B.A. from Catholic University in 1989, and her M.S.W. from the University of Maryland at Baltimore in 1993.

Henri C. Burris, Sr., Member, Board of Directors

Mr. Burris is the President and CEO of Bodyguard PLUS, a national security and private investigation company based in Catonsville, MD. The company provides professional security services for local, state and federal agencies, as well as for corporate executives, foreign dignitaries, celebrities and professional athletes. Mr. Burris retired from the Baltimore City, Maryland, Police Department after 23 years of service as a detective, where he worked in numerous positions including as a member of the Warrant Apprehension Task Force, a part of the U.S. Secret Service Task Force for credit and fraud investigations, in gang and narcotics investigations, and as a certified training instructor. Mr. Burris is particularly dedicated to protecting vulnerable populations, including children at risk and victims of domestic violence. He is also a longtime advocate and practitioner of community policing, and strives to build relationships and a culture of understanding between law enforcement and residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods, where crime is prevalent. Mr. Burris is an active member of the Police Benevolent Society. Mr. Burris also serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors for Sentinel Assisted Living Systems, an assisted living community for special needs populations and the elderly, and is Vice President for Logistics and Safety for the Fashion Umbrella Foundation, a Baltimore-based cultural arts organization that uses fashion and the arts as a teaching tool for young entrepreneurs.

Sharlene Sawyer, Member, Board of Directors

Sharlene holds a Masters of Science in the twin disciplines of Organizational Development and Knowledge Management from George Mason University. The discipline of Knowledge Management is a relatively new one that encompasses the process of capturing, developing, sharing and effectively using organizational knowledge to achieve organizational objectives. Sharlene applies the principles of OD and KM in her current position as a Consultant to Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services. There, Sharlene has contributed to the Department’s overall strategic planning processes, by helping to design programs to enhance employee diversity, professional development, and help senior management better capture and retain detailed knowledge of employees prior to their leaving the Department. At the same time, Sharlene is a Site Director at the School-age Child Care program for Fairfax, Virginia, overseeing a staff of five teachers and 80 school-aged children daily. Sharlene has developed a program with a strong learning environment while managing and coaching teachers to best meet the needs of participating children. Sharlene’s understanding of and sensitivity to the complex needs of children and families can be traced to her work as a Pre-Adoption Caseworker for the child welfare system in the Bronx, New York where she worked as part of a team overseeing permanency planning for children in the foster care system. Among other tasks, Sharlene was responsible for enabling children’s productive interactions with their foster and birth families as well as community agencies.

Joseph Barbato, Member, Board of Directors

​Joseph Barbato has been a consultant to major nonprofit institutions since 1978. As president of Barbato Associates, he works with public relations, publications, and fundraising directors to prepare brochures, annual reports, newsletters, and other printed materials. He is a specialist in creating case statements and other high-end publications for major gifts campaigns. His clients have included MIT, WETA, Environmental Defense, NYU, Brookings Institution, Oxford University (U.K.), the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, George Washington University, the Smithsonian Institution, and The Nature Conservancy.

Barbato is also an author and journalist. He has been a columnist and contributing editor at Publishers Weekly and has written for The New York Times, Smithsonian, and other publications. His books, two of which have been featured on “The Today Show,” include the literary anthologies “Heart of the Land” (Pantheon) and “Off the Beaten Path” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) as well as “You Are What You Drink: The Authoritative Report on What Alcohol Does to Your Body, Mind, and Longevity” (Villard). His other books are “Writing for a Good Cause” (Simon & Schuster) and “How to Write Knockout Proposals” (Emerson & Church).

He edits the literary blog Red Weather Review.

Barbato has held positions as a writer, editor, and communications director at New York University; a staff writer for Shell Oil Company; a public information director at the City University of New York; and an editorial director at The Nature Conservancy.

Katie Montbriand, Member, Board of Directors

​Katie Montbriand lives in D.C., and is currently Director and Chief of Staff to a Senior Vice President at Capital One Financial Corporation where she uses her business skills to set strategic direction and to improve the Capital One culture.

Prior to that, Katie was Manager and then Senior Manager in the US Card line of business, where she helped drive change to make subprime lending simpler and more fair for customers. She graduated from the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management with a triple major in Finance, Marketing and Entrepreneurial Studies, and holds an MBA from the ESADE Business School in Barcelona.

Katie is a strategic thinker and will bring that to the planning process for EWOM. She is extremely enthusiastic about playing an important role in improving the lives of homeless children throughout D.C.